Sharks set to buy out Paul Martin’s contract

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San Jose Sharks’ Paul Martin (7) waits for a face-off against the Colorado Avalanche in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, April 5, 2018. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

The Sharks placed the veteran defenseman on unconditional waivers Friday for the purpose of buying out the final year of the four-year, $19.4 million contract that he signed with the club as an unrestricted free agent in July 2015.

In doing so, the team will free up roughly $3.2 million in cap space, according to the Sharks, to pursue free agents and impact forward via trades this offseason. With the buy out, the Sharks now have roughly $19.2 million in cap space available to chase after the likes of John Tavares or Ilya Kovalchuk in free agency and re-sign their own players, such as pending-unrestricted free agent Joe Thornton and pending-restricted free agent Tomas Hertl.

“Paul Martin has been the upmost professional on and off the ice during his three years in San Jose. His leadership, character and on-ice contributions have been essential to our success and in reaching the 2016 Stanley Cup Final,” general manager Doug Wilson said in a statement. “The impact he has had on our organization, his teammates and many of our younger players will be felt for many years to come.”

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Martin’s addition to the Sharks blue line played a key role in the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2016. The 37-year old proved to be the perfect defensive partner for Brent Burns, playing a risk-adverse stay-at-home role on the pairing. In doing so, Martin allowed Burns to freelance in the offensive zone and make use of a skill set that might be unparalleled in the NHL.

With Martin at his side, Burns put up 353 shots on goal during the 2015-16 season, setting franchise records for goals (27) and points (75) by a defenseman. Burns put together an even more impressive season in 2016-17, breaking his own franchise records with 29 goals and 76 points while leading the NHL in shots on goal (320). The remarkable season earned Burns the 2017 Norris Trophy.

Burns gave Martin a lot of credit for his breakout seasons in 2015-16 and 2016-17.

“The game is so fast and so hard, he reads the plays so well,” Burns told the Mercury News in 2017. “I go off the page a little bit and he reads it early and closes it down. I think that’s one of his greatest strengths is the way he reads plays and sees what’s happening.

“We just have a great marriage, I think. He’s a great partner. We don’t fight. He puts the toilet seat down. It’s nice.”

Can’t say enough about @ShineALigh7 Paul Martin amazing guy off the ice and huge mentor on it. Leaned on this guy a ton and was fun every day with him. One of the best teammates out there! Miss throwin’ my grenades over there to ya and now you can get those shooter sticks again!

But age and a changing game bumped Martin out of the Sharks lineup for most of the 2017-18 season.

As the NHL continued to get younger and faster, Martin, who underwent ankle surgery in the summer of 2017, started to get exploited on the Sharks blue line. As a result, head coach Pete DeBoer replaced him with rookie defenseman Joakim Ryan on Burns’ pairing. Ryan brought mobility and a strong breakout game to the Sharks back end.

Although he got bumped from the lineup, Martin continued to play a mentorship role with the Sharks young defensemen, including Ryan, the guy who took his job.

“The way he’s treated me ever since I came up at the beginning of the year has meant a lot to me,” Ryan told the Mercury News in March. “He’s been so nice to me personally, saying hi every day, asking how I’m doing.

“Some guys in that situation would be a huge jerk to someone like me who’s taking their spot. It could have been a really awkward situation.”

Martin eventually wormed his way back into the lineup when Ryan suffered an upper-body injury on March 17. The veteran blue liner suited up for the last 11 games of the regular season and the first seven games of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

But the buy out likely signals the end of the two-time Olympian’s NHL career. The Minnesota native has suited up for 14 NHL seasons with the Sharks, New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins, scoring 50 goals and compiling 320 points in 870 games. Martin is just the third player that the Sharks have bought out, joining Martin Havlat and Adam Burish.